It all started in summer 2011
I left my university studies in Korea on a break and came to France in 2011 on a student visa. Back then, I could barely read the French alphabet, and I had no idea how complex the paperwork would get.
Over the next 15 years, I followed my studies and then my career across Nancy → Orléans → Riom → Lyon, and now Paris. Visa-wise, I went all the way through: student → work → permanent residency.
Why I built Settli
The trickiest thing about French admin is that there's rarely a single right answer.
I moved cities a lot, and even for the same student visa, the list of required documents subtly differed from one préfecture to another. Once, the préfecture lost my file — I had to redo every step and request each document again from scratch.
Every renewal, I started preparing documents 2-3 months ahead, struggling to find reliable guides in my native language. When friends going through the same steps kept asking me the same questions, I thought: "If I just write this down properly once, it'll help all of us."
What started as a notebook became a website, then I added four more languages — French, English, Arabic, Chinese — for foreigners going through the same thing.
✅ What Settli does
- Personalized document checklist by visa type and city — in 60 seconds
- Step-by-step admin guides — residence permit, bank account, mobile plan, proof of address, OFII, CPAM
- Same content in 5 languages — 한국어 · Français · English · العربية · 中文
- Free, no signup, no payment
❌ What Settli does NOT do
- Legal advice — I am not a lawyer or licensed paralegal. Always confirm with service-public.fr or a professional
- Filing on your behalf — you have to submit applications yourself
- Visa applications — Settli is an info site, not a service provider
A bit about me
I started university in Korea, took a leave, and came to France. I finished my bachelor's and master's at Lyon, then worked on admin teams — first at a French company, later at a Korean group. My years as a foreigner navigating my own préfecture, combined with my time helping colleagues through their paperwork at work — that's what became Settli.
To be clear: Settli is a personal project, not legal advice. French admin changes every year — always confirm important decisions through official sources.
Drop me a line
Settli was launched by one person, but to stay accurate, it needs your help.
Especially welcome:
- Incorrect information or changed regulations
- Cases where your préfecture asked for different documents
- Topic suggestions ("please cover this too")
Every report is checked immediately and added to the site, so the next user doesn't fall into the same trap.
Start the checklist
Pick your visa type and city. The list of required documents shows up in 60 seconds.
→ Go to checklist → Read the blog